Post job
zippia ai icon

Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

Merchandise buyer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical merchandise buyer skills. We ranked the top skills for merchandise buyers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.7% of merchandise buyer resumes contained vendor relations as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a merchandise buyer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 merchandise buyer skills for your resume and career

1. Vendor Relations

Here's how merchandise buyers use vendor relations:
  • Managed vendor relationships and partnered with marketing team on both digital and traditional print marketing efforts.
  • Developed assortment plan and established vendor relationships to support and maximize sales and profitability.

2. Purchase Orders

Here's how merchandise buyers use purchase orders:
  • Reviewed target inventory levels vs. inventory positions in order to place appropriate purchase orders.
  • Issued and managed fulfillment of purchase orders for a JIT integration/manufacturing environment.

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how merchandise buyers use customer service:
  • Provide feedback and suggestions to customers regarding merchandise advertisements, sales campaigns and offer needed customer services.
  • Increased profitability, customer service, and overall visual aesthetics.

4. Apparel

Apparel is anything worn especially formal clothes; outerwear; garments; attire; raiment worn on an important occasion to protect, wrap, adorn or beautify the body. Apparel also refers to clothing of a specific type that is sold in stores. Product categories include everything from basic items like underwear, badges, jewelry to luxury items. The general classification of clothing is as follows: men's wear, women's wear, children's wear, and others.

Here's how merchandise buyers use apparel:
  • Promoted to Children's Apparel because of recognized professional capabilities and excellent communication and supervisory skills.
  • Designed visual presentations of apparel to enhance product visibility and increase sales.

5. Trade Shows

Here's how merchandise buyers use trade shows:
  • Initiated vendor negotiations for competitive pricing, tracked and followed trends via trade shows, catalogs and web searches.
  • Traveled to trade shows and vendor showrooms to identify and analyze market trends and identify sourcing opportunities.

6. Product Categories

Here's how merchandise buyers use product categories:
  • Managed and communicated sales projections and confirmed stock allocation for Consumer Electronics and Sports Memorabilia product categories.
  • Selected all merchandise for 16 product categories and other related marketing collateral.

Choose from 10+ customizable merchandise buyer resume templates

Build a professional merchandise buyer resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your merchandise buyer resume.

7. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how merchandise buyers use product development:
  • Worked closely with several buyers in merchandise selections and product development.
  • Collaborated with licensed manufacturers on exclusive product development.

8. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how merchandise buyers use market research:
  • Conduct market research to maximize order parameters.
  • Accomplished through strong relationships with an extensive list of vendors and stro ng market research for best quality/cost.

10. Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is the skill of having better information and knowledge about the product you are selling. Product knowledge is essential for the employees of the companies so they can communicate and inform the customers about the product. Having great product knowledge is essential for a better sales pitch and to give the customer a better and complete idea of the product that will influence him to buy the product eventually.

Here's how merchandise buyers use product knowledge:
  • Coached a ten member Call Center staff on product knowledge, promotional items, product availability and special order processes.
  • Worked closely with sales reps and manufactures to obtain strong product knowledge.

11. Inventory Control

Here's how merchandise buyers use inventory control:
  • Supervised major departments packing, shipping inventory control, receiving and quality control as Regional Catalog Distribution Manager.
  • Designed an inventory control management program for procedures to maximize just-in-time inventory parameters.

12. Payment Terms

Here's how merchandise buyers use payment terms:
  • Negotiated all aspects of the buying process including product costs, payment terms, exclusivity, and promotional support.
  • Negotiated to buy truckload quantities while creating, extending and expanding sales and discount and payment terms.

13. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how merchandise buyers use product line:
  • Forged new relationships and introduced new product lines that provided credibility to Trans World as a complete entertainment destination.
  • Reviewed computer printed merchandise summaries for balancing and controlling store inventories, and ordered advertised product lines.

14. Retail Sales

Retail sales are the method to track consumer demand for finished goods by assessing the purchases of durable and non-durable products over a definite period. Data on retail sales is accumulated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Here's how merchandise buyers use retail sales:
  • Developed marketing strategies to grow business operations including growing and retail sales of several thousands of seasonal flowers.
  • Oversee and develop retail sales program for Boise division.

15. Vendor Negotiations

Here's how merchandise buyers use vendor negotiations:
  • Organized and coordinated food shows and events; managed inventory for 3 warehouses, returns, and vendor negotiations.
  • Overhauled vendor negotiations process in order to drive efficiencies and streamline communication.
top-skills

What skills help Merchandise Buyers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of merchandise buyer skills to add to your resume

Merchandise buyer skills

The most important skills for a merchandise buyer resume and required skills for a merchandise buyer to have include:

  • Vendor Relations
  • Purchase Orders
  • Customer Service
  • Apparel
  • Trade Shows
  • Product Categories
  • Product Development
  • Market Research
  • Market Trends
  • Product Knowledge
  • Inventory Control
  • Payment Terms
  • Product Line
  • Retail Sales
  • Vendor Negotiations
  • Inventory Management
  • Sales Floor
  • Gross Profit
  • Promotional Strategies
  • Product Assortment
  • Product Selection
  • Financial Objectives
  • Retail Store
  • POS
  • Sales Data
  • Sales Growth
  • Product Mix
  • Customer Demand
  • Pricing Strategy
  • Store Locations
  • Sales Volume
  • Store Management
  • Buying Process
  • OTB
  • Seasonal Merchandise
  • Strong Negotiation
  • Product Placement
  • General Merchandise
  • Facebook
  • Distribution Centers
  • Business Strategies
  • Sales History
  • ROI
  • Sales Trends
  • Brand Positioning
  • Private Label
  • Copywriting
  • Bank Deposits

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse business and financial jobs